Diaspora and Identity: Three days in Stuttgart bring the Albanian-Speaking diaspora closer to home

Diaspora and Identity: Three Days in Stuttgart Bring the Albanian-Speaking Diaspora Closer to Home 

The international conference "Diaspora and Identity: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives" came to a close today in Stuttgart, after three days of discussion, exchange, and planning between the Albanian-speaking diaspora and Kosovo's institutions. Hosted and organised by Consulate of the Republic of Kosovo in Stuttgart, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora (MFAD) and the University of Prishtina, the conference brought together diaspora students, academics, supplementary Albanian language teachers, diaspora organisations, and institutional representatives from across Europe. 

Over three days (12 to 14 June), participants worked through a shared question: how to keep the connection between the Albanian-speaking diaspora and Kosovo strong, practical, and lasting. The programme had taken shape over months of preparation, with technical and content support from GIZ Kosovo helping turn a broad idea into concrete panels and workshops. The answers came through those sessions and through direct conversation between generations and across borders. 

Identity and belonging 

The conference opened with the theme that runs through all the others: what it means to belong to two places at once. For many young participants, the chance to discuss this openly, with peers who share the same experience, was the heart of the event. That feeling came through in the room. 

‘Spending a semester in Kosovo gave me much more than academic knowledge. It gave me the opportunity to connect with fellow students, explore architecture in a different context, and experience Kosovo beyond what I had known from afar. I left with a deeper understanding of the country and a completely new perspective on its people, culture, and potential.’ 

- Egzon Peci, student in Germany.  

This sense of shared identity set the tone for everything that followed, turning a personal question into a starting point for action. 

If identity is the feeling, language is the thread that holds it together across generations. Supplementary Albanian language teachers, who carry much of this work in their own communities, were central to the conversation on how to keep the language alive far from home. The sessions on education, several of them facilitated by GIZ staff, looked at how teachers, families, and institutions in Kosovo can support each other, so that language learning in the diaspora is not left to a few committed individuals working alone. 

Knowledge transfer and "brain circulation" 

A recurring message was that the relationship runs both ways. The Albanian-speaking diaspora is not only something to support from Kosovo; it is also a source of knowledge, skills, and ideas that can flow back home. Academics from the University of Prishtina framed this as "brain circulation" rather than "brain drain." 

On the diaspora as a source of knowledge for Kosovo, "Brain circulation is one of the most valuable forms of diaspora engagement, connecting expertise, innovation, and opportunities across borders," as stated Prof. Ass. Dr. Rozafa Basha, Vice-Rector of the University of Prishtina.   

The discussion produced practical ideas for academic links, joint research, and ways for diaspora professionals to share their expertise with institutions at home.  

Youth engagement and public diplomacy 

The conference also looked at the diaspora as a voice for Kosovo abroad. Young people who grow up in Europe can become natural bridges between Kosovo and their host countries, in education, culture, and public life. Representatives of MFAD spoke about turning this potential into real engagement, connecting the personal experiences of participants to the policy level, where mechanisms for engagement are designed and funded. 

Networking and long-term engagement 

A conference can create energy for three days. The harder task is keeping it alive afterwards. Diaspora associations, which stay in touch with their communities long after events like this end, played a key role in the sessions on long-term engagement. Much of the work here was about connecting people: linking students, academics, institutions, and existing diaspora engagement programmes so that participants leave with somewhere to go next, not just a good memory. 

"What stood out throughout the conference was the genuine willingness of diaspora academics and students to contribute to Kosovo's development when meaningful opportunities for engagement exist. Our role is to help build those bridges and ensure that cooperation is not limited to individual initiatives, but becomes institutionalized, sustainable, and mutually beneficial." 

– Krenare Loxhaj, Migration and Diaspora Policy Advisor, GIZ Kosovo 

By the final day, these conversations had fed into a set of recommendations for future diaspora engagement, which will support the ongoing work of MFAD and partner institutions. 

What comes next 

The conference closes with more than good conversation. It leaves behind concrete recommendations for future diaspora engagement, stronger ties between the Albanian-speaking diaspora and Kosovo's institutions, and new connections between students, academics, institutions, and diaspora organisations. It also gave many young participants a clearer view of the engagement mechanisms already open to them, and of how to stay involved in the months and years ahead. 

Throughout, working alongside local partners, we reinforced the connections that already exist, supporting the institutions and networks that will carry this forward long after the event ends.